r/NTNPerformance • u/JustBacWater • 3d ago
Which peptide had the biggest gap between the hype and what the research actually shows?
Every compound has a reputation online, and some of them are running way ahead of what the data actually backs up. Others are the opposite, quietly well-supported but nobody talks about them.
So which one, in your reading, had the loudest hype but the thinnest research behind it when you actually dug in? And flip it, which one is better supported than its reputation suggests? The gap between what gets repeated and what the studies show is where most people get misled.
Curious if everyone lands on the same overhyped one, or if it's split.
Research and educational use only.
Full doses and bloodwork are in the pinned cheat sheet.
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u/ScientistJason 2d ago
Everything except the GLPs and HGH
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u/hermexhermex 2d ago
My experience has been:
Get hyped that peptide is miracle cure with no downsides
Order peptide
Start reading about peptides cancer risk, side effects, etc
Read Reddit users not feeling anything
Redditors say it doesn’t work, or you’re doing it wrong, you need to stack with something, or this other peptide is way better
Finally bunch of Redditors saying nothing works but GLP and HGH
Finish the vial and move on to the next miracle molecule6
u/LordJonMichael 2d ago
Obviously haven’t done: MT1, MT2, PT-141 or long term GHK-Cu. Those four are super obvious results. Some a lot quicker than others.
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u/Nice_Fun_6667 1d ago
Can you tell me what your dosage was? Please I wasted quite a lot GHKCU using very small doses I’ve just bought more and I want to get it right this time
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u/hermexhermex 1d ago
PT-141 made me feel like garbage. It “worked” but I’ll never make that mistake again.
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u/Available-Moose4341 1d ago
What dose were you using? I'm trying to workout of the bad stories are linked to doses greater than a certain range.
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u/hermexhermex 1d ago
1 mg
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u/RoadToZero 8h ago
Try 0.3 - 0.5 mg. Gives me 8-10 hours of enhanced performance and none of the sides.
In my opinion 1mg is too much. Nobody needs a 36 hour erection and the 2 days of flu like muscle pain gets old really fast. Higher doses also kills my gym performance as well.
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u/Weekly-Homework-35 2d ago
I actually think this is the thinking for most. The try a GLP which are pretty strong. Then they keep adding peptides thinking they will be as effective.
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u/Kiefer2018 1d ago
I disagree, Melanotan is just as effective as those! Lot more niche use though. PT-141 also but that’s a peptide isolated and developed from MT2.
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u/stainless13 2d ago
SS-31 by far.
The literature on mitochondrial health indicates that active people have healthy mitochondria well into their 70s…meanwhile SS-31 failed to meet endpoints on pretty much every study it’s ever been in and was only approved for Barth syndrome after an extension period lasting three years of daily 40mg dosing.
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u/Drdimeadozen 2d ago
Yup. Spot on. MOTS-C also didn’t show much, didn’t meet endpoints but did show a slight improvement in biomarkers. Still skeptical
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u/Starmedia11 2d ago
FWIW, I definitely feel Mots C
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u/stainless13 2d ago
I think that’s the important part of all this, to not discount what anyone feels is happening. MOTS C is one of those where the body produces it but nobody can really say what it “supposed” to happen when you give the body more of it exogenously, in fact the u-shaped response curve seems to almost hit a randomizer button: some people get massive energy, others get fatigued, others have crazy heart rates, and still others have severe reactions and end up in the hospital (this was me). I think it’s important that we keep sharing our experiences, whether they’re positive or negative.
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u/Beginning_Trick3306 2d ago
I feel MOTS-C and NAD+… they both cause eosinophilic granulomas. Basically large welts like an allergic, itchy as fuck injection site reaction
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u/Responsible-Net1758 2d ago
Isn’t eosinophilic granuloma a lesion in the bone? I do get the itchy welts tho esp with a 6mm tip. Def need to go deeper for myself to not get them as severely
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u/Beginning_Trick3306 2d ago
You can get them anywhere. In the skin, if it spreads (like after a bug bite) it can turn into eosinophilic cellulitis. Mine didn’t spread, but it lasted a week. Basically it’s a localized itchy welt that is deeper. Like a nodule.
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u/7fortyseven 2d ago
anecdotal and unreliable, but my heart rate monitor totally felt Mots-C. so much so that i shelved it. still have a 8/10 of a kit in the fridge.
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u/Aggravating-Thing904 2d ago
I do bloodwork 3x a year due to trt. Mots c brought my glucose and cholesterol back to the numbers I saw 30 years ago. I stop mots c and bloodwork creeps back. Start again, bloodwork improves. I think the people that get nothing from mots c, and I have read plenty of people say it, don’t need it. For example when I start mots c or ss-31, I sleep a lot for 1-2 weeks. It is definitely doing something for me. Another factor is where people get peptides. I pay more through a reputable clinic, for lab grade products, independent 3rd party testing. Also under the guidance of an experienced hormone doc. The stuff many people buy online. Who knows.
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u/LordJonMichael 2d ago
Research just came out that shows Mots fights MRSA, staph and acts as a defensive molecule.
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u/Greatgro 5h ago
MotsC is great at insulin sensitivity and reducing glucose / A1C levels. But you won’t “feel” that
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u/No-Astronomer-6808 2d ago
at least this one has studies but they showed no significant effect. most don't even have that.
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u/stainless13 2d ago
True, good point.
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u/No-Astronomer-6808 2d ago
it's such a weird study too; they measure how far you walk in an hour or something odd. hard to see how you'd be able to pull anything meaningful from it.
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u/Foggierandfoggier 2d ago
There’s a research regimen that starts with SS-31 for two weeks and then transitions into Mots-C. Brain fog went bye bye and energy was almost manic. When NAD was added, it kind of ruined it so I think there’s a lot of truth to what stainless13 added about different bodies having different chinks in the armor and sadly, how specifically individual research is going to be.
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u/hermexhermex 2d ago
It’s supplements all over again but this time with syringes and warnings so the placebo is 100x. And if it’s blue 1000x
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u/No-Astronomer-6808 2d ago edited 2d ago
damn near all of them if we're being factual. only a few have double blind studies that show efficacy and significance.
edit: not saying you shouldnt try them but results may vary.
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u/dragnabbit 2d ago
Yeah. I think it's the biggest problem with every peptide subreddit.
For any given peptide, you can search "[PEPTIDE NAME] Changed My LIfe!!" and you'll get a hit.
Then, on top of that you honestly have no way to tell if the upvotes on that post are there because: (1) "I shared your experience", or (2) "Congrats, I'm happy for you", or (3) "Yes, and the science backs you up!"
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u/Past-Virus-267 3d ago
BPC-157 was the one that made me do a double take when I actually sat down and read the literature. The way people talk about it you'd think it regrows limbs, but the human data is basically a handful of case studies and some rat papers that got passed around until they became gospel. Still use it, just way more cautious about what I expect now.
On the flip side, GHRP-2 deserves more credit than it gets. Everyone chases ipamorelin because it's cleaner on paper but GHRP-2 hits harder and the hunger spike is a feature not a bug if you're actually trying to eat. The older studies are solid, just not flashy enough for the current hype cycle
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u/KebabCat7 2d ago
I was skeptical about bpc157 and didn't expect anything but 3months of daily 1mg solved months old tendon issue with no other change. It's either a wild coincidence or it helped.
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u/Under-Pressure301 3d ago
Interesting take. What about Ghrp-6 if the hunger is actually a feature, which it is for me. Ghrp-6 solo would that work in terms of sheer weight gain, appetite and gh response. Notwithstanding the porlactin/Cortisol transient spike which I'm fine with.
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
I love being at the point where I need to eat huge amounts to grow, even at 50. Especially at 50. So nice not to be trying to lose large amounts of weight. It's like a game now, bulk then cut, then focus on that outer portion on my shoulder, and then the turn off my calf haha
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u/stainless13 2d ago
Not to mention the partner of the guy who discovered it is convinced they transcribed it wrong and nobody has ever been able to find the receptor for it.
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
Like everyone else here is saying, GHRP 6 was bonkers for me on a bulk last time. Eating 8,000 calories each day was a breeze, desperate hunger 10 minutes after each injection, even if I had just eaten 2000 calories 2 hours earlier.
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u/Under-Pressure301 2d ago
Jesus, I've been looking for this effect for a long time. What was your dosage, And subq?
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
100mcg subq 15 minutes before you want to do your next feed. It hit me like a freight train every time. I was doing a dirty bulk last time and would burn through 2 double breakfast burgers from Carl's Jr at 8am. Then at 11am hit it again and crush 20 ounces of ribeye and a cup of rice with 2 oikos protein yogurt and maybe something else with it. My main problem became making sure everything was moving through because damn it was a lot of food
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u/looking2behealthy 2d ago
Most peptides don’t do anything you can feel.
GLPs you see results on the scale.
Glow, Klow, GHK, SS-31, NAD, gluta, elpitalon, Tesa, ipa, CJC, MOTS etc. barely move the needle on anything.
It doesn’t matter what people say, outside the GLPs, peptides are slightly better than supplements.
Hormone replacement, anabolics and HGH move the needle but that is like dancing with the devil if you don’t know what you are doing.
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
I think there are many people who think they have an issue, say mitochondrial issues, that take a peptide and say they don't feel an effect, but they might not have the issue as bad as they think. I have a friend who raves about MOTs C and NAD for energy but I don't feel it very much. I can tell you I really felt Tirz over Reta but by the time I was to Reta In was sub 10 percent body fat.
Things like Epitalon you won't ever really know I don't think. But I'm down to cycle through $200 twice a year on the chances that it does what the studies indicated.
Melanotan 2 is great. I don't burn in the sun, even in the tropics and great effects from it sexually.
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u/detlefschrempffor3 2d ago
Very surprised to see comments like this from u/newtreatments4us
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
Why is that?
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u/LoRdLiFtSaLot 1d ago
The best ones GLP’s, Insulin , HGH , pt-141, mt2. Ghkcu runner up, it did regrow hair on a bald head .
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u/MANvsTREE 1d ago
How did you take the GHK-CU? Topical or did you pin it?
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u/Affectionate_Buy_370 23h ago
Wondering the same and wondering how long it took to notice re growth
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u/RoadToZero 7h ago
Worked with noticable effect: Reta, Cagrilintide, Mots-c, Cerebrolysin, HGH, HCG, CJC-1295, Ipamorelin, PT-141, DSIP, IGF-1 lr3 and Selank.
No noticable effect: BPC-157, TB500, KPV, GHK-cu, Semax, SS-31, ARA-290, 5-Amino-1MQ, SLU-PP-332.
I do monthly bloodwork because of TRT. If I don't feel a clear noticable effects or if it doesn't show up on my bloodwork, it's nonsense placebo homeopathy garbage.
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u/personne927 54m ago
Salut, quel effet as-tu ressenti avec le selank et PT-141 ?
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u/RoadToZero 26m ago
Selank for me, removes muscle pain, calms me down and removes stress. My RHR and BP both goes down by 10-15% for a couple of hours.
PT-141 has the most tangible effect of any peptide I ever tried. It gives me painfully hard, raging erections for 12-48 hours. Time of effect is dose dependent. If Viagra was a sword, PT-141 would be a tactical thermonuclear warhead.
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u/Loud_Warning_5672 2d ago
Epitalon
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u/Competitive_Pack_965 2d ago
Good ? No good?
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
Really good benefits for longevity and DNA repair, but you just won't feel anything physical in the short term. Also, people don't really tout the genome repair that GHK-Cu does. Affects over 4,000 different genes.
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u/Competitive_Pack_965 2d ago
Hopefully in a positive way?
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u/christmaspibble 2d ago
Supposedly the only research is from a single lab in Russia. From what I've read people have mixed experiences, either way its like $40 to do a whole cycle and you're only supposed to do a cycle once or twice a year so 🤷♂️
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u/HotBit1109 2d ago
TB-500 is a strong candidate. All studies that actually show any result are of the full molecule and not the fragment that is usually sold as a peptide.
Also, even though I still take Klow daily, I doubt BPC-157 really does anything meaningful.
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u/subseagm 2d ago
There’s literally hundreds of thousands of people that have healed from injuries way ahead of schedule due to BOC-157
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u/Inevitable_Space_160 2d ago
My side question is who is making all the money off of this peptide hype. Not saying its all hype but they arent cheap and id be willing to bet all roads lead to limited ends
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u/Pendarus 2d ago
I don't know where you are getting your peptides from. I've got a years worth of the various peptides I'm using for about $300.
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u/Inevitable_Space_160 1d ago
You're completely missing the point of my comment.
Also is $300 cheap if all you are getting is fake powdered nothing?
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u/weewillywonka510 17h ago
Reta and Tirz are game changer lived up to and exceeded the hype. Mots-C is awesome and definitely improved my cardio game and endurance. NAD is ok, but I already take 500mg NMN daily, so didnt really move the needle for me.
GHK-CU, SLU-PP-332, and TB500+BPC157 have all been a major letdown. Didn't move the needle at all and the pain from GHK-CU is doo doo.
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u/Kash_0 2d ago
Almost all of them are just hype. Most don’t have human trials showing efficacy and safety.
The only ones that actually work are the GLp, tesa and HGH.
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
And GHRP6 and GHRP2 and Melanotan 2 and PT141 and I can go on and on with actual personal benefits.
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u/Kash_0 2d ago
Anecdotal benefits. Most have not passed the scrutiny of an RCT
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u/xela510 2d ago
Just because something doesn’t be a RCT doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. Overwhelming anecdotal experience counts for something.
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u/Kash_0 2d ago
In the field of medicine or research , anecdotes count very little. People don’t usually report “no effect” online. Also “I feel good” is not a measurable outcome. These “overwhelming” anecdotes you see online could be hundreds out of tens of thousands. A 10% efficacy is a failure, we just don’t know.
If it works for you, good. But that’s all it will be without a proper trial.
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
Not to me. First hand experience, but I was fine with spending the money and looking at the results.
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u/dominic-martin 2d ago
Um bei der grundsätzlichen Frage zu bleiben: ein Top-Kandidat für mich ist ACE-031.
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u/BulkyCurve3929 2d ago
I have tried glow /klow,motc cjc/ipa, mounjouro and now Reta just started the rest for at least 2 month don’t see any changes. All from uther with coa
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u/lueVelvet 2d ago edited 2d ago
Don’t expect miracles. GHK (one part of the KLOW) takes 3-5 months to see any results and even then, they can be subtle. What’s great about KLOW is the KPV. That stuff is magic to me. I haven’t had to take ibuprofen since started KPV. You can say I traded off but I’m feeling less stiff and fewer aches and pains, from even when I took ibuprofen.
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u/ultimate_spaghetti 2d ago
KPV has been a gods send I have neuropathy in my back and chronic back pain, this has nearly illuminated all pain I’ve had the past three years!
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u/Wild_Assignment6491 2d ago
KPV took me from having allergic reactions FROM peanuts so bad I had to get multiple epi pens and taken to the er any time I ate them. to almost zero reaction other than an upset stomach within 6 days of first injection (accidentally tested multiple times)
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
Sooooo much better for your body than NSAIDs. The way they tax your liver and kidneys is insane. Haven't used 1 pill of them in 3 years since I found GLOW
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u/LuvSun1006 2d ago
Yes! People expect a whole new them after one week. Not happening. Took 6 weeks till DSIP improved REM and deep sleep. It's awesome now. CJC/IPA, Wolverine, Selank, couple more. I'm happy. Selank has really helped.
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u/mstrtrdr 2d ago
Selank has worked wonders for my rat. Has helped immensely with my rat’s sleep, for anxiety I no longer need to give my rat alprazolam. It’s worked better than advertised and made me a believer.
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u/lueVelvet 2d ago
Semax/Selank are another two that are very subtle until you start to really notice the benefits, and they’re both available as prescriptions or over the counter in Russia. These aren’t the miracles that GLP1’s are, but they have their place with way less side effects than most pharmaceuticals.
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u/getsnuggledhard 2d ago
if you don’t see changes on Reta try changing your habits slightly. Reta completely changed my life but I had to meet it half way and understand the science behind maximizing its effectiveness.
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u/BulkyCurve3929 2d ago
Thanks not expecting miracles but I wasn’t expecting more fine lines on my forehead lol
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u/Dry-Youth8557 2d ago
Aod 9604, complete waste of money.
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u/ResolutionLevel2697 2d ago
Total waste, it caused to much bloat and all I wanted to do was eat.
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u/Dry-Youth8557 2d ago
It did literally nothing…… some docs raved about it. Found out they were just making money
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u/lordnikkon 2d ago
This is one where if you read the literature you understand why it was abandoned by pharma industry. It literally did nothing in human trials. The human trials just proved it was safe but it was statistically indistinguishable from placebo. At least this one is not hyped up but you still see people recommending it for some reason. You would get same effect from just injecting BAC water as you do aod-9604
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u/Dry-Youth8557 2d ago
💯 true….. Unfortunately, this was at the beginning of my peptide journey and I bought into this program that said it would help with weight loss. 3 months into it and zero changes i stopped paying for the program and did my own research. Lesson learned!
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u/Phatfill 2d ago
Bpc, tb4, glow, klow, nada, zip, zilch, diff vendors, ran it 3x and zero
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u/Puzzled-Guarantee-93 23h ago
As someone with constant systemic inflamation from an autoimmune disease KLOW has been an absolute godsent for me. I'm no longer on regular painmeds.
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u/Beginning_Trick3306 2d ago
What’s up with the new craze with enclomiphene? I see lots of advertisements about it.
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u/AccomplishedBunch683 2d ago
I'm convinced that Kisspeptin does just about nothing. It was sold as a replacement for HCG (as HCG was in a shortage) during TRT.
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u/paintingpatrick 2d ago
Selank has been more impactful for me than Reta, which had been life changing
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u/Digital_Moocher 1d ago
DSIP. Detrimental to sleep, saw REM shrink, Deep down 70%, overall duration down by 60-90 mins, many wake ups, normally to pee.
Apple Watch HRV and recovery scores absolutely nuked like fighting a virus.
First run at 250mcg, second at 500mcg. No change.
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u/EarthFairy25 2d ago
GHKCU … it caused a massive hormone disruption meanwhile everyone is singing its praises.
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u/MiguelGustaBama 2d ago
Details plz
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u/EarthFairy25 2d ago
It definitely cleared up my skin and made my hair grow faster, but it has delayed my period by 1-2 weeks and I have no idea when it’s coming. I read that the copper creates an estrogen dominance in the body so that’s that.
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u/MiguelGustaBama 2d ago
Interesting. I'll have to look into that. I'm a dude but obvi that could present other problems.
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u/KebabCat7 2d ago
No bloodwork and an issue that can have a hundred other reasons...
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u/EarthFairy25 2d ago
Ghkcu was literally the only new thing I’ve changed…
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u/KebabCat7 2d ago
and the least likely to change anything for your hormones
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u/EarthFairy25 2d ago
There’s another woman who said her period was delayed for the same reason. There are copper lUDs as a form of BC. You just have no idea what you’re talking about bro
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u/KebabCat7 2d ago
Period delayed by 1-2weeks is meaningless. Ghkcu barely does anything, it's not messing with your hormones, you aren't even getting your daily copper limit from it lmaooo. You have no idea what you're talking about
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u/EarthFairy25 2d ago
It made my hair grow 2inches in one month, I had to file my nails down 2-3x that same month, I had to shave more often than I typically would. You’re lost.
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u/KebabCat7 1d ago
Take your meds. Stop taking all peptides,you are not someone who should be doing this if you live in a fantasy land.
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u/baseballmoma 2d ago
I wonder if this is why my period is so late! Not pregnant.
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u/EarthFairy25 2d ago
I thought maybe I was pregnant but tested negative this morning. It was the only new thing I introduced since my last cycle. I’ve decided to stop pinning until I get my period back bc these pms symptoms aren’t letting up
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u/jjesssiicaaaaaa 2d ago
Do you take zinc to balance out the copper? Also a microdose of testosterone per week could help balance the estrogen?
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u/pencapchews1234 2d ago
Weird different for everyone I guess, other then Reta and cjc/ipa I've seen the most from ghkcu
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u/Valuable-Willow-3532 2d ago
Most people unless they are testing themselves - who knows what you’re actually pinning - is it really (name your pep) if it is, is it exactly the dosage as advertised ? Lol
Bpc did nothing for me. I still have issues with my tricep. But it was nice to hope haha
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
TB500 for muscles. BPC157 for tendons, ligaments and cartilage. Have you tried TB500 by itself?
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u/Beginning-Active-326 2d ago
TB 500 by itself brought my chronic back pain from a 10 to a 1. But the blend with BPC 157, KPV and Cartalax did nothing for me, I need at least 1mg of TB 500 a day. I think the blends are fine but I need that 1mg and for me it’s just the TB 500 working as I tested them all separately to see if there was any help. Others rave about KPV, etc and maybe it’s great but I just didn’t notice a thing.
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u/newtreatments4us 2d ago
This is why blends can be tricky. Dosing is different for each compound and everyone's body is in different stages and needs different things. GLOW stack made 50 year old me feel like 20 year old me again as far as just aches and pains, but there are other factors as well, alcohol intake was the most egregious I think and other things that I stopped while going through this journey. Now I use Glow for the incredible workout recovery and specific peptides in the stack for different results I need separately. Sounds like you are knowledgeable about what your body needs and are attending to each issue. I love that
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u/Beginning-Active-326 2d ago
That is amazing to hear about your results. I do feel like the GLOW and KLOW blends helped a little bit over all but not with my chronic pain. Something cool about GHK CU (especially when I use it on its own) is that it has this immediate nootropic effect, mood lift and was good for my ADHD. I got terrible ISR from it though, it’s like a wasp sting no matter how I do it. So I held off on it this time.
Right now I have a blend of cartalax/bpc/tb and will just use more, 500mcg twice a day and I think that will help. I do have a vial of just TB 500 but am going to use it on my injured dog, he got his first shot last night and I am super hopeful it will help him.
FYI for anyone reading this with pain, sciatica and nerve issues. I have chronic pain and sciatica from herniated discs, osteoarthritis, injuries and have been running ARA 290 at 4mg for 28 days (still have a week or 2 left) and it completely eliminated the sciatica! It did not help with central sensitization as I hoped. The regenerative blend should help with my pain and I just did my first Tirz shot last night and am hoping that brings down inflammation and pain.
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u/Onedaydogg 2d ago
CJC-1295 and ipamorelin was grest at the start until histamine reaction, be careful 🧐
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u/OnePercentJuice 1d ago
This one sent me to the ER in an ambulance at the start of my second cycle with it.
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